Looper and method for producing cut pile tufts

ABSTRACT

A tufting machine arranged to produce cut pile carpets and having work feeding and tuft forming devices including a reciprocable eye-pointed needle movable through a backing for the carpet between retracted and extended positions, has a double looper with a lower bill and an upper bill off-set from the lower bill. When the looper advances, the upper bill passes entirely outside the loop formed by the projecting needle so that a single long loop is formed around the lower bill only in each succeeding loop-forming cycle. In a tufting machine arranged to produce relatively dense &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;U&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;-cut pile tufts, the single long loop around the lower bill is deformed, and a yarn severing knife severs the yarn adjacent the lower edge of the lower bill to produce cut pile of a substantially uniform length. In a tufting machine arranged to produce high shag carpets, a yarn severing knife cooperates with the upper bill to cut one leg of the needle loop adjacent the bottom edge of the upper bill, thereby forming a short pile length and a much longer pile length to produce a pronounced &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;J&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; cut pile tuft.

United States Patent [191 Mueller Aug. 14, 1973 LOOPER AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING CUT PILE TUFlS [75] Inventor: Helmut C. Mueller, Springfield,

Mass.

[73] Assignee: Bigelow-Sanford, lnc., Thompsonville, Conn.

[22] Filed: Apr. 28, 1971 [21] App]. No.: 138,156

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 72,004, Sept. 14,

1970, abandoned.

Primary Examiner-James Boler Attorney-H. L. Kirkpatrick [5 7] ABSTRACT A tufting machine arranged to produce cut pile carpets and having work feeding and tuft forming devices including a reciprocable eye-pointed needle movable through a backing for the carpet between retracted and extended positions, has a double looper with a lower bill and an upper bill off-set from the lower bill. When the looper advances, the upper bill passes entirely outside the loop formed by the projecting needle so that a single long loop is formed around the lower bill only in each succeeding loop-forming cycle. In a tufting machine arranged to produce relatively dense U-cut pile tufts, the single long loop around the lower bill is deformed, and a yarn severing knife severs the yarn adjacent the lower edge of the lower bill to produce cut pile of a substantially uniform length. In a tufting machine arranged to produce high shag carpets, a yam severing knife cooperates with the upper bill to cut one leg of the needle loop adjacent the bottom edge of the upper bill, thereby forming a short pile length and a much longer pile length to produce a pronounced J cut pile tuft.

9 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures Patented Aug. 14, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet l II IIIIIIII FIG 2 FIG 4 Patented Aug. 14,1973

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG 8 LOOPER AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING C UT PILE TUFTS This application is a continuation-in-part of my application, Ser. No. 72,004, filed Sept. I4, 1970, now abandoned, for Looper and Method of Producing J Cut Pile Tufts."

The present invention relates to an improved apparatus and method for producing U cut pile tufts in a tufting machine suitable for producing plush" carpetsi.e., carpets having a relatively high density of cut pile tufts and for producing J cut pile tufts in a tufting machine for producing high shag carpets.

conventionally, plush carpets are manufactured by sucessively severing loops of pile which have been formed in adjacent rows by a reciprocable eye-pointed needle which extends from a retracted position to carry pile fed from a creel through a backing material for the carpet and retracts through the backing material leaving a loop of pile disposed below the backing material. The length of yarn in the loops thus formed varies depending upon the desired thickness of the carpet and is approximately equal to twice the carpet thickness. A looper then advances to engage the loop and a yarn severing knife shears the pile adjacent the lower edge of and on one side of the looper. The cut legs of the loops cut in this manner have unequal lengths, and although shearing of the longer of the legs often reduces the inequality in length sufficiently to preclude the difference from being detectable by the naked eye, it does not always do so. Thus, plush carpets produced in the conventional manner often have an undesirable rowy" appearance.

Furthermore, conventional loopers and cutting techniques are not completely satisfactory for manufactur- -ing high shag carpets. First, since the cut pile lengths from each severed loop are conventionally approximately equal, inches of yarn are required for each 5 inch cut tuft. For such high shags a relatively small number of pile rows only will be tufted per inch of backing fabric to produce a desired helter-skelter falling-over effect. However, high shags produced in this manner are subject to a serious defect in that gaps may appear in the pile cover between the widely spaced rows of tufting and allow the backing fabric to show through, an effect generally referred to as grinning.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for producing plush carpets having cut pile of a substantially uniform length.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a method and apparatus which is adaptable for use over a wide range of carpet thicknesses.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for producing pronounced J cut pile tufts in the manufacture of high cut pile shag carpets.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a method and apparatus for producing high cut pile shag carpets which are much less prone to grinning" than are shag carpets produced in the conventional manner.

Other objects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the invention, taken together with the attached drawings thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial side section of a tufting machine illustrating particularly the relationships of a needle, looper and loop severing knife with relation to the feeding backing fabric;

FIG. .2 is a somewhat diagrammatic detail view of a needle, looper and yarn severing knife arranged for producing U cut pile tufts, as the needle nears the end of the loop drawing stroke;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the relative positions of these parts taken as the knife advances to sever the loop to produce a U cut pile tuft;

FIG. 4 is a view in side elevation of an improved double looper for producing U cut pile tufts in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 5 is a somewhat diagrammatic elevation looking toward the front of the machine illustrating three adjacent needles, loopers and yarn severing knives arranged to produce U cut pile tufts,

FIG. 6 is a somewhat diagrammatic detail view of a needle, looper and yarn severing knife arranged for producing pronounced J" cut pile tufts, as the needle nears the end of the loop drawing stroke;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing the relative positions of these parts as the knife advances to sever the loop to produce a pronounced J cut pile tuft;

FIG. 8 is a view in side elevation of an improved double looper for producing pronounced J cut pile tufts in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 9 is a somewhat diagrammatic elevation looking toward the front of the machine illustrating three adjacent needles, loopers, and yarn severing knives ar ranged to-produce pronounced .I cut pile tufts.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, portions of a conventional cut pile tufting machine are described and illustrated, only so much of the machine being shown as believed necessary to indicate the connection of the present invention therewith. See, for example, the U.S. Pat. to Charles, No. 3,162,155, issued Dec. 22, I964 for Universal Multi-Needle Tufting Machine and referenced in my copending U.S. application S.N. 72,004, filed Sept. 14, 1970.

Elements of the machine illustrated include a cross bed 20 having a transverse upper opening 22 between two inwardly turned opposed upper flanges 24, 26. A base plate 28 providing support for a backing fabric 30 for the carpet being produced is shown mounted on flange 24 to extend over aportion of the opening 22. The backing fabric 30 is drawn from two infeed rolls 32, 34 from right to left across the base plate 28 to a group of three out-feed rolls 36, 38, and 40, which are driven conventionally at a peripheral speed slightly greater than the infeed rolls 32, 34, so as to maintain the backing fabric in tension across the base plate 28. Operating instrumentalities of the machine include a bank of eye-pointed needles 42 (See FIG. 5, for example) which are mounted to reciprocate longitudinally as a unit, a series of double loopers 44 cooperating with the needles, and a series of loop severing knives 46. In the, illustrated machine wherein the severed loops are automatically cleared from the looper bills, the loopers are arranged to face against the travel of the backing fabric, which is shown in FIG. 1 as being from right to left. The severed ends of each successively cut loop are drawn clear of the looper 44 by the continued advance of the backing fabric 30.

A double looper 44 (FIGS. 2-5) for producing U cut pile tufts is formed with an upper bill 50 and a lower bill 52, of which the upper bill is provided with a tip portion 53 off-set, so that, as the looper advances into engagement with the needle loop formed by the projection of the needle, the tip portion 53 of the upper bill 50 passes entirely outside (in front of, in FIGS. 2 and 3) the yarn length extending from the prior formed tuft to the projected needle. The lower bill 52 enters the lower portion of the needle loop, passing in back of the downwardly continued stretch of yarn from the prior formed tuft and'in front of the second leg of the needle loop extending upwardly to the now retracted needle and supply. With the arrangement described, the offset upper bill deforms the loop defining a loop leg 56 which is longer than loop leg 54, only one long loop being measured around the lower bill during each loop forming cycle. The lower bill 52 cooperates with a loop severing knife 46 to sever leg 56 of the loop intermediate its length adjacent and forward of the bottom edge 58 of lower bill 52, thereby cutting the long needle loop at its mid-point and producing cut pile tuft of substantially uniform length.

FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings illustrate respectively the loop drawing position and the loop cutting position of the looper 44 and needle 42. In the first position illustrated in FIG. 2, the loop has been formed about the lower bill 52 of the fully advanced looper and the needle eye is about to be withdrawn through the backing fabric. In the second position illustrated in FIG. 3, the needle is fully retracted through the backing fabric, the looper 44 has started to move back, and the knife 46 has been advanced to sever the loop.

A double looper 59 for producing pronounced J cut pile tufts in high cut pile shag carpets is shown in FIGS. 6-9 (which correspond respectively to FIGS. 2-5 in which U" cut tufts are produced). Double looper 59 is formed with a lower bill 60 and an upper bill 62 having a tip portion 64 off-set (in the opposite direction from the off-set tip portion 53 of bill 50) so that, as the looper 59 advances into engagement with the needle loop formed by the projection of the needle, the tip portion 64 of the upper bill 62 passes entirely outside of (behind, in FIGS. 6 and 7) the yarn length extending from the prior formed tuft to the projected needle. Lower pill 60 (in a manner similar to that of lower bill 52 discussed above) enters the lower portion of the needle loop, passing in front of the downwardly continued stretch of yarn from the prior formed tuft and rearwardly of the second leg of the needle loop extending upwardly to the retracted needle and supply.

A generally rectangular groove 66 having a width greater than the width of knife 46, is cut in the front surface of lower bill 60 and is arranged to permit knife 46 to pass by lower bill 60 and to move upwardly and to cooperate with upper bill 62 to sever one leg of the loop intermediate its length adjacent the bottom edge 68 of upper bill 62, thereby producing a pronounced .I" cut pile tuft including a relatively short and a relatively long cut pile length. In this embodiment of the invention the one long loop measured, during each loop-forming cycle, is measured around lower bill 60 and upper bill 62 does not have a loop-forming or loopmeasuring function.

FIGS. 6 and 7 of the drawings (corresponding, respectively, to FIGS. 2 and 3 for the looper for producing U" cut pile tufts) illustrate respectively the loop drawing position and loop cutting position of the needle and looper for producing pronounced J cut pile tufts.

It is intended that the long pile length of the J" cu pile tuft will provide the desired height of the shag. The short pile length serves primarily as a pile cover for the backing fabric. If the desired pile height represented by the long pile length is 5 inches, the double looper may be proportioned so that the short pile length is l and k inches, for example. Thus, the total length of yarn contained in the loop will be 6 and 1% inches as compared with the 10 inches of yarn which would normally be required. Therefore, with applicants improved looper and method for producing pronounced J cut pile tufts suitable for the manufacture of high shag carpets, substantial savings may be achieved in the terms of the amount of yarn required for each individual tuft. Other novel and valuable characteristics of the improved looper and method for producing I cut pile tufts herein described include the following:

Since each tuft is formed of a short pile length and a substantially longer pile length, the pile height is determined solely by the longer pile length. The shorter pile length provides a pile cover for the backing fabric which substantially reduces the tendency to grinning above noted as a major defect in the high shags of the prior art. The fact that there is only one long pile length in each tuft makes it possible to substantially increase the number of rows of pile tufted per inch. Assuming that the number of rows of pile per inch has been substantially increased and that the same pile height and pile weight as in a standard shag is called for it will be evident that the resulting carpet will be denser and also much less prone to grinning.

Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a tufting machine arranged to produce cut pile carpets, said tufting machine having work feeding and tuft forming devices including a reciprocable eyepointed needle movable through a backing for said carpet along a path between retracted and extended positions, and

a double looper having a lower bill cooperating with said reciprocable needle to form a long needle loop defining first and second loop legs extending downwardly from said backing around said lower bill and an upper bill having at least a tip portion off-set laterally from said lower bill and arranged to pass outside said long needle loop.

2. Apparatus according to claim I, wherein said tufting machine is arranged to produce high cut pile shag carpets and further comprising a yarn severing knife arranged for movement against said upper bill to sever one leg of said needle loop intermediate its length against said upper bill to produce a pronounced J cut pile tuft.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, in which said tufting machine is provided with multiple needles, a series of double loopers each having upper and lower bills, of which the upper bills are off-set laterally from the lower bills to pass outside the paths of the respective needles, and a series of yarn severing knives each knife arranged for movement against a said upper bill to sever one leg of a said needle loop intermediate its length against said upper bill to produce a pronounced J cut pile tuft.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said tufting machine is arranged to produce relatively dense cut pile carpets, said upper bill in passing outside said needle loop thereby deforms said long needle loop so that the length of one of said loop legs is greater than the length of the other of said loop legs, and said apparatus further comprises a knife mechanism arranged to sever 5 said needle loop adjacent the lower edge of said lower bill to produce a relatively dense cut pile of substantially uniform length.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said knife mechanism comprises a yarn severing knife arranged for 1 movement against said lower bill adjacent said lower edge to sever the longer of said loop legs intermediate its length to produce said relatively dense cut pile of substantially uniform length.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said tufting machine is provided with multiple reciprocable eyepointed needles, a series of double loopers each cooperating with the respective needle to form a long needle loop and each having an upper and a lower bill, each of said upper bills being off-set laterally from the respective lower bill to pass outside the respective long needle loop, and a series of said yarn severing knives each arranged for movement against the respective lower bill adjacent its lower edge to sever the respective loop to produce said relatively dense cut pile of substantially uniform length.

7. A method of producing cut pile carpets on a tufting machine having work feeding and tuft forming devices including a reciprocable eye-pointed needle movable along a path between retracted and extended positions and a yarn severing knife, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a double looper having an upper and a lower bill, said upper bill having a tip portion only off-set laterally from said lower bill, and a main portion aligned with said lower bill,

forming a single long loop having first and second loop legs extending downwardly from a backing supporting said pile about said lower bill while bypassing said upper bill main portion, one of said legs thereby having a greater length than the other of said formed legs, and

moving said yarn severing knife relatively to one of said bills to sever one of said loop legs at a point in termediate its length.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said tufting machine is arranged to produce relatively high density cut pile carpets and the step of moving said yarn severing knife includes moving said knife relatively to said lower bill to sever the longer of said loop legs at a point intermediate its length for producing relatively dense cut pile having a substantially uniform length.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said tufting machine is arranged to produce high cut pile shag carpets and the step of moving said yarn severing knife includes moving said knife relatively to said upper bill to sever one of said legs intermediate its length adjacent the lower edge of said upper bill to produce pronounced J cut pile tufts. 

1. In a tufting machine arranged to produce cut pile carpets, said tufting machine having work feeding and tuft forming devices including a reciprocable eye-pointed needle movable through a backing for said carpet along a path between retracted and extended positions, and a double looper having a lower bill cooperating with said reciprocable needle to form a long needle loop defining first and second loop legs extending downwardly from said backing around said lower bill and an upper bill having at least a tip portion off-set laterally from said lower bill and arranged to pass outside said long needle loop.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said tufting machine is arranged to produce high cut pile shag carpets and further comprising a yarn severing knife arranged for movement against said upper bill to sever one leg of said needle loop intermediate its length against said upper bill to produce a pronounced ''''J'''' cut pile tuft.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 2, in which said tufting machine is provided with multiple needles, a series of double loopers each having upper and lower bills, of which the upper bills are off-set laterally from the lower bills to pass outside the paths of the respective needles, and a series of yarn severing knives each knife arranged for movement against a said upper bill to sever one leg of a said needle loop intermediate its length against said upper bill to produce a pronounced ''''J'''' cut pile tuft.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said tufting machine is arranged to produce relatively dense cut pile carpets, said upper bill in passing outside said needle loop thereby deforms said long needle loop so that the length of one of said loop legs is greater than the length of the other of said loop legs, and said apparatus further comprises a knife mechanism arranged to sever said needle looP adjacent the lower edge of said lower bill to produce a relatively dense cut pile of substantially uniform length.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said knife mechanism comprises a yarn severing knife arranged for movement against said lower bill adjacent said lower edge to sever the longer of said loop legs intermediate its length to produce said relatively dense cut pile of substantially uniform length.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said tufting machine is provided with multiple reciprocable eye-pointed needles, a series of double loopers each cooperating with the respective needle to form a long needle loop and each having an upper and a lower bill, each of said upper bills being off-set laterally from the respective lower bill to pass outside the respective long needle loop, and a series of said yarn severing knives each arranged for movement against the respective lower bill adjacent its lower edge to sever the respective loop to produce said relatively dense cut pile of substantially uniform length.
 7. A method of producing cut pile carpets on a tufting machine having work feeding and tuft forming devices including a reciprocable eye-pointed needle movable along a path between retracted and extended positions and a yarn severing knife, said method comprising the steps of: providing a double looper having an upper and a lower bill, said upper bill having a tip portion only off-set laterally from said lower bill, and a main portion aligned with said lower bill, forming a single long loop having first and second loop legs extending downwardly from a backing supporting said pile about said lower bill while by-passing said upper bill main portion, one of said legs thereby having a greater length than the other of said formed legs, and moving said yarn severing knife relatively to one of said bills to sever one of said loop legs at a point intermediate its length.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein said tufting machine is arranged to produce relatively high density cut pile carpets and the step of moving said yarn severing knife includes moving said knife relatively to said lower bill to sever the longer of said loop legs at a point intermediate its length for producing relatively dense cut pile having a substantially uniform length.
 9. The method of claim 7 wherein said tufting machine is arranged to produce high cut pile shag carpets and the step of moving said yarn severing knife includes moving said knife relatively to said upper bill to sever one of said legs intermediate its length adjacent the lower edge of said upper bill to produce pronounced ''''J'''' cut pile tufts. 